Monday March 31, 2025 Jay Silverman

  

Happy Monday, everyone!

Today's theme:  

This is what the store clerk usually replies if you say you are JUST BROWSING.
<BTW, this meme features Jack Black in Nacho Libre (2006).>

20 Across. "I'd like something that won't rust, something ... ": CHROME PLATED.  

link to a 5:49 min. video
I watched several videos and read many articles (so you wouldn't have to.)

31 Across. "I'd like a lawn mower and maybe some ... ": EDGE TOOLS.  

When I asked my CHROME browser for images of EDGE TOOLS,
it gave me images of leather-working tools similar to the one on the left.
OTOH, when I asked for EDGing TOOLS, it gave me lawn care tools like the one on the right.

46 Across. "I'd like sun protection in the Serengeti, such as a ... ": SAFARI HAT.  

57 Across. "Only window shopping," and what one might say when using the starts of 20-, 31-, and 46-Across: JUST BROWSING.

Also, CHROME, EDGE, and SAFARI are web BROWSers.  

Jay and the editors did a good job of navigating the difference between entering a store and asking a salesperson for a specific item verses JUST BROWSING by peppering the three themed clues with nonspecific words, i.e., something, maybe some, and such as. These words add an air of indecision.  

Next we'll Brave the other clues:  

Across:

1. "Cupid" singer Cooke: SAM.  Great song. Here you go:  

Sometimes we need to know that the Roman's Cupid 

was the equivalent of the Greek god Eros.

4. Sulk: MOPE.  

8. FDR's middle name: DELANO.  Big hint: It starts with a D.

14. Boozy brew: ALE.

15. Not quite right: AWRY.  Def.:  (adj. or adv.) off the correct or expected course; amiss.

16. Thought out loud: OPINED.  Def.:  (verb) to express opinions.

17. Word of denial: NOT.  

Who took the cookie from the cookie jar?

NOT me!

18. Lotion additive: ALOE.  

19. Required: NEEDED.  Here's one you probably haven't seen for a while:  

Thanks, I NEEDED that! (34 sec.)

23. Brush target: HAIR.

24. Vette alternative: T-BIRD.  Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Thunderbird

25. Game show prize, maybe: TRIP.  

29. Crotchety Muppet: OSCAR.  

33. Sense of diplomacy: TACT.  Def.:  (noun) a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense.

In other words, "Read the room!"

35. Fútbol cheer: OLÉ.  I like the parity between the clue and answer.

36. Reggae kin: SKA.  

An Introduction to Ska Music (2:30 min.)

37. Texas border city: LAREDO.  

40. Bring to a stop: ARREST.  This 5:16 min. video is for fans of the TV show Arrested Development. If you have never seen the show, I suggest skipping this one.  

42. Nest egg letters: IRA.  Individual Retirement Account

43. Megaplex chain: AMC.  American Multi-Cinema is the largest movie theater chain in the world. It was founded in Kansas City, MO in 1920. 

For C-Eh!:  There used to be eight AMC locations in Canada but they have all been either sold off or closed.

45. Brontë governess: EYRE.  "Jane" also has 4 letters and ends with an E.

Jane Eyre is an 1847 romance novel by Charlotte Brontë.

49. Approvals: YESES.  Note the plural in the clue indicating a plural answer is required.

53. Sketch out: PLAN.  Sketch out means to present or write a brief, hasty plan or account of something.

54. Referenced: CITED.  Here I am CITing my source for 53-A.

56. Modernist with a memorable mustache: DALÍ.  (1904-1989)  Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech was a Spanish artist and filmmaker who is considered a leader of the Surrealist movement and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. 

60. Spanish 4-Down: SEÑORA.     and     4 Down. Title said with the tip of a hat, perhaps: MA'AM.

63. "One True Thing" novelist Quindlen: ANNA.  goodreads link

64. __ and tonic: GIN.  Hand up for enjoying the occasional pre-dinner G&T with a slice of lime.   

65. Malign, as a reputation: IMPUGN.  Great word!

Def.:  (verb) to assail by words or arguments.

66. Soaks up the sun: TANS.  

Sheryl Crow   ~   Soak Up the Sun   ~  2002

I'm pretty sure I have this CD around here somewhere....

67. Binary code digit: ONE.  Zero was too long.

(Thanks to Lemonade for the gentle suggestion that I needed to fix this one!)

68. Hospital caregivers: NURSES.  We are grateful to these amazing individuals every day, however a special appreciation week is approaching.

69. Thwack: SLAP.  ...more parity as both are onomatopoeias.

70. Quietly agree: NOD.

Down: 

1. Panza of "Don Quixote": SANCHO.  They are characters in Miguel de Cervantes' 1605 Spanish novel about a delusional, self-proclaimed night and his loyal squire.

2. Kona greetings: ALOHAS.  Kona is on the west side of Hawaii's Big Island. It has been the location of the Ironman World Championships since 1981. Athletes race in a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run (full marathon). Last year's winners were:

    Patrick Lange (Germany) 7 hrs. 35 min. 53 sec.

    Laura Philipp (Germany)   8 hrs. 45 min. 15 sec.

3. Like milligrams and milliliters: METRIC.  

5. Tiny hooter: OWLET.  

6. Side wager on a sporting event, informally: PROP BET.  Short for proposition bet, this is a wager on an individual player or specific event in a game/match that is not directly connected to the outcome of a game. An example would be betting on how many yards a certain quarterback will throw in a certain game.

7. Blinking body part: EYELID.  

The caption for this picture read, "EYELID art is a thing."

8. Infomercial exhortation: DON'T DELAY.  Buy today!

9. Dueler's implement: EPEE.  Duelers have used various weapons throughout history. These include swords, axes, knives, clubs, and firearms. in the Medieval period, noblemen might duel wearing a whole panoply of armor and armed with a polearm.

10. Wasn't honest with: LIED TO.

11. "Your point is?": AND?.

12. Coretta King, __ Scott: NÉE.  This one feels forced. After she was married, she took the name Coretta Scott King, not Coretta King.

13. Like 2025: ODD.

21. Deliver a speech: ORATE.

22. Mythological ship: ARGO.  The ARGO occasionally sails through our grids.

26. Valentine's Day flower: ROSE.  CSO to RosE!  🌹 I've missed her posts. I hope she checks in soon.

27. Kinds: ILKS.

28. Princeton Review subj.: PSAT.  Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test

30. Plane tracker: RADAR.

32. Name of two Monty Python members: TERRY.  Terry Gilliam (b. Nov. 22, 1940) and Terry Jones (1942-2020)  

(l. to r.) Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle,
Terry Gilliam, and Michael Palin

34. Unserious font: COMIC SANS.  Blogger does not come with this font option. It looks like this:  

37. Speech imperfection: LISP.

38. North __ Sea: Asian lake: ARAL.  

39. 14-time French Open winner, to fans: RAFA. Former professional Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal won 22 Grand Slams men's singles titles. ¡Que bueno!

41. Bassoon essentials: REEDS.  The bassoon uses a double REED. You will likely recognize many of these themes: 

44. Voucher: CHIT.  

45. Lasting forever: ETERNAL.

47. Green-skinned pears: ANJOUS.  

48. Chances for a hit: AT BATS.  baseball

50. "Miss __": Broadway musical set in Vietnam: SAIGON.  

a 1 min. promotional trailer

51. Periodic Pacific current: EL NIÑO.  Wouldn't it have been fun if this Ñ crossed the Ñ in SEÑORA?

El Niño and La Niña are climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean that can affect weather worldwide.  NOAA website

52. Like a finalized contract: SIGNED.  

55. "Queen of Disco" Summer: DONNA.  She was Hot Stuff back in 1979 when this song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.

H-Gary, Are you dancing?!

58. Beseech: URGE.

59. Stinging bug: WASP.  Unlike bees, WASPs do not die after stinging someone.

60. Sloth or greed: SIN.  

They are called "deadly" because these behaviors often lead to further sins.

61. Ostrich kin: EMU.

62. "Morning Edition" airer: NPR.  National Public Radio ... as if you didn't already know. 😎

The grid:  

The plus sign in the middle is interesting.
I wonder what OMK would have had to say about that....

We had a bit of a Spanish sub-theme with LAREDO, DALÍ, SEÑORA, SANCHO, RAFA, and EL NIÑO. I hope you had on your thinking sombreros today.  🤠

That's all. Now I'm out ... like a lamb.  🐑

Have a great week, everyone!

Wednesday, Jan. 1st, 2025 ~ Jay Silverman

 C CCC CC C
(rough "C"s)

Happy New Year~!  - Ah, circles - nothing like starting 2025 off with a familiar constructor, but the same old, same old . . . . nine or more names, depending on how you count, twenty more 4LW than TLW, and a reveal that explains how the WATER words are "chopped up".  The themers;

20. *Occasion to stay up late: SLUMBER PARTY - I recall playing Atari 2600 all night for my B-day sleep-over in 5th grade - and BAY

29. *Hard wear with links: CHAIN MAIL - I wore chain-mail at my "medieval" wedding - and CANAL

Yes - if you look closely, we had coconuts . . . 

38. *Team whose stadium is at the highest elevation in the majors: COLORADO ROCKIES - the  NHL's Colorado Rockies became the New Jersey Devils in 1982 - and LAKE

Barry went on to become a NY Ranger

45. *Ford Mustang, for one: MUSCLE CAR - I like the Mustang, but I'm partial to the '67 "10A." Cougar - and SEA

I actually had two, but '69s

53. Rough sailing, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues: CHOPPY WATERS

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. "Hurry!" letters: ASAP - I believe most Cornerites are OK with "hurry" to define 'As Soon As Possible' - STAT, not so much

5. Post-marathon feelings: ACHES - post-beach hike, too; sloped sand is a tough surface for walking 

I prefer the beach when it's Christmas Day - and the Atlantic was not CHOPPY
Splynter with Cooper - there's SNOW on the sand~!

10. 88 Earth days on Mercury: YEAR - the planet "Spirographs" in its orbit

Want more confusion~?  Read more here

14. Ricky Martin's "Livin' la Vida __": LOCA - not really my thing, but there are some cool guitar licks

Co-written by Desmond Child - who has a long list of hits across several genres

15. Where the heart is: CHEST - Dah~!  We had TORSO last week, so I tried it again - Bzzzt~!

16. Like a literary duckling: UGLY

17. Gelcap, e.g.: PILL

18. Rodeo rope: RIATA

19. Spy: MOLE - I am reading the Lance Spector books by Saul Herzog, and guess what~?  Book #5 is called - The Spl(y)nter~!

The previous book, "The Sleeper", was a real page-turner

23. Anna's "Frozen" sister: ELSA - name #1

24. Cry of pain: "OUCH~!"

27. Protein source in Greek salad: FETA - AND - 68A. Second Greek letter: BETA; see 48D., too

34. "My gosh, you're right!": "SO IT IS~!"

36. Acr. from: OPP - 'across' , 'opposite' - a bit Meh.

37. Mrs. in Mexico: SRA - abbr.s

42. Actor Mahershala: ALI - not a clue; his Wiki; name #2

43. Head-slapping cry: "D'OH~!"

44. Glistens: SHINES - I guess; I think of it more as "sparkles"

49. Lovers' vows: "I DOs"

50. Branch of Islam: SHIA - name(ish) - and a note to the Noobs

51. Storyteller __ Christian Andersen: HANS - name #3

60. Mexican peninsula, informally: BAJA

63. Alpaca kin: LLAMA

Classic

64. Off-white shade: OPAL

65. Treated, as a sprain: ICED

66. Bamboozles: DUPES

67. Mythical cousin of Bigfoot: YETI

69. Big Broadway hit: SMASH

70. Come off as: SEEM


DOWN:

1. Much of Switzerland: ALPS

2. Gardener's purchase: SOIL  - I had SEED, only 25% correct

3. RBG employer in the 1970s: ACLU - RBG = Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the American Civil Liberties Union - I knew who the "notorious RBG" was, but not her history - the Wiki

4. South Carolina's state tree: PALMETTO

That's the state "shape" and its "flag", with the palmetto tree

5. Tracts of land: ACRES - whenever I hear "tracts of land", it reminds me of this scene

Monty Python @ 1:02 - "huge tracts of land"

6. Former French president Jacques: CHIRAC - no clue; Frawnche name #4

7. Haphazard pile: HEAP

8. "¿Cómo __ usted?": ESTA - Spanish lesson; "How are you~?"

9. People person?: STAR - People, the magazine, that is

10. Syllables said while rubbing one's tummy: YUM-YUM

11. Sense of self: EGO

12. Everyone: ALL

13. Sandwich bread: RYE

21. Serena's frenemy on "Gossip Girl": BLAIR - no clue, again; name #5

Methinks I should start watching, tho

22. Cargo weight: TON

25. Reno venue: CASINO - a casino in reno - I'm a poet - and I know it

26. New staff members: HIREES - a good WAG on my part

27. Magic competition hosted by Penn & Teller: FOOL US - on TV, the IMDb, a rhyme you see

but I've never watched

28. "Bad Guy" singer Billie: EILISH - I have heard of her; name #6

30. Hullabaloo: HOO-HA

31. Busy IRS mo.: APRil  - I am still waiting for the Internal Revenue Service to resolve a dispute from 2022 . . . April 15th is a Tuesday - there will be no extensions

32. Wall St. debuts: IPOs - Initial Public Offering

33. Girl: LASS - I tried LADY - that's 50% correct

Check out this bagpipe LASS

34. Bogus deal: SCAM

35. "Smooth Operator" singer: SADE - "Smooth Sailing"; name #7

there's a great little guitar solo before the sax solo

39. "What's up, __?": DOC - Bugs Bunny to me - I did not know it was also a movie (BTW, Splynter was born a mere year before its release)

40. Fine dishes: CHINA

41. Playroom detritus: KIDS TOYS

46. Noisy summer bug: CICADA - I'm not a fan of summer, sun, sand, sweating and insects

47. "Well, __-di-dah!": LAH

48. Jay, Kay, and May, say: RHYMES - Ah, clever - the constructor's name is in there, but NAMES didn't fit - he even snuck "say" in there, as well

52. Inundated (with): AWASH

54. Poet Sharon: OLDS - never heard of her, and a departure from the 'car maker'; name #8

55. Purple fruit: PLUM - or sloe~?

56. Smurf with a white beard: PAPA - I guess it's a name, too - #9

He's the one with the, uh, beard . . . 

57. Olympian's weapon: ÉPÉE

I just learned there are specific "targets" in fencing

58. Hourly charge: RATE

59. Svelte: SLIM

60. High chair garb: BIB

There are times when I feel like I missed out, not having kids . . . .

61. Opening day pitcher, typically: ACE

62. Jacuzzi feature: JET - I plan to replace my "plain" tub with a Jacuzzi

Now that's choppy water

Splynter

HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR~!

( DID YOU WATCH THE WINTER CLASSIC~? )

Wednesday, Dec 4th, 2024 ~ Jay Silverman

  TO GO

A bottle of anything, and a glazed donut - to go~!

This is my second Jay Silverman puzzle this year, AND yet another 15 x 16 grid on a Wednesday . . . . The "4LWs" outnumbered the TLWs today, just a handful of names - but I knew them - and no circles.  On to the reveal first; 

41A. Speedy meal option, and what the answers to the starred clues literally are?: FAST FOOD

18A. *Speedy dinner option?: INSTANT RAMEN

Ah - the connoisseur version

66A. *Speedy beverage option?: BRISK ICED TEA - a tad meh; I usually think "brisk" means chilly, bracing, refreshing - but there's more here

12D. *Speedy breakfast option?: QUICK GRITS

I almost had grits when I lived in Jacksonville, FL

31D. *Speedy side dish option?: MINUTE RICE

I have this product in my kitchen for when I make General Tso's Chicken

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Whisky, e.g.: SCOTCH

Indiana Jones is not particular about the type...

7. Business entities: FIRMS

12. HSN alternative: QVC

15. Santa's laugh: HO-HO-HO - a timely clue; three weeks til Christmas~!

16. Wide open: AGAPE - I started with APART, but thought better of it

17. Dubai's fed.: UAE - United Arab Emirates

20. __-at-ease: ILL

21. Prefix with natal: NEO - neonatal

22. Bodies of water: SEAS

23. Didn't make the team's final roster: GOT CUT

25. Somewhat ruddy: REDDISH

28. Tools for fall guys?: RAKES - Har-har

29. Pop in for a scene, say: CAMEO

32. Hip-hop's __ Clan: WU TANG - One of their songs comes up on my Pandora station, but I cannot think of the title - and it's not Hip-Hop

34. Dover landmarks: CLIFFS - while listening to the radio waaay back in 1990, I heard this song in my headphones working for Grossmans Lumber, and prayed the FM radio DJ would mention the artist's name, and he did  - Eric Johnson; I went out and immediately bought the record; here's the full track, and this is Juliana Wilson doing the ridiculously fast and difficult intro

Cliffs of Dover - note the finger stretches

36. Wistful sound: SIGH - I have been doing a lot of this lately

37. Singer Kristofferson: KRIS - sadly passed Sep 28th, 2024 ( on my hiring anniversary date at the pipe organ company ); I remember him most for his role as the big boss in the movie Payback

40. Forever, figuratively: EON

44. Texter's "No clue": IDK - I Don't Know - Ozzy & Randy can tell you more . . . .

From the album Blizzard of Ozz, released in the US in 1981

after he was kicked out of Black Sabbath

45. Two, in Trois-Rivières: DEUX - Frawnche

47. Tidy: NEAT - ah, our friend Tinbeni took his 1A. this way . . . .

48. Strength of character: METTLE - I'm into Heavy Mettle

50. Wall Street figure: TRADER

52. Checked out before a heist: CASED - usually with "the joint"

53. Suffix with home or farm: STEAD - homestead, farmstead

55. Moisturizer target: DRY SKIN - AND - 30D. Ingredient in some 55-Across treatments: ALOE

Never gets old, Hahtoolah

59. Skeptical about: WARY OF - like maybe my humor~?

61. "Just joshing!": "I KID~!" - I really do~!

62. Pampering place: SPA

65. Japanese sash: OBI

70. __-A-Fella Records: Jay-Z label: ROC - not the extinct bird

71. Goose-bumps-causing: EERIE

72. Minolta partner: KONICA - not just high-end cameras - their Wiki

73. Mama deer: DOE

74. Pedometer units: STEPS - I did a lot of dog walking while visiting my brother on Thanksgiving - his fiancée has an Australian Shepherd, and I want a dog now~!

Cooper~!

75. Makes catty comments: SNARKS

DOWN:

1. Lower leg: SHIN - or CALF~?  Had to wait on perps

2. Gelato receptacle: CONE

3. Exceedingly: OH SO

4. Little one: TOT - little tater

5. Drive away: CHASE OFF

6. Made sharper: HONED

7. Iranian tongue: FARSI

8. Polish tennis star Swiatek: IGA - recently busted for doping - probably before the puzzle was submitted for publication - her Wiki

9. Male sheep: RAM - and the Zodiac sign Aries

10. Video file format: MPEG - Moving Picture Experts Group - the format's website here

11. Spanish title: SEÑORA

13. Hold in esteem: VALUE

14. Boston NBA team, colloquially: CELTS - the Celtics - not a basketball fan, at all

19. Bit: TAD

24. Scuba necessity: TANK - I am thinking about installing an in-wall TANK for fish

Technically, a Fish Tank Media Wall....

25. NFL flag thrower: REF

26. Taylor who was Time's 2023 Person of the Year: SWIFT - I cannot watch the KC Chiefs because any broadcast of that team focuses way too much on her; I don't go to a Van Halen concert to see a football game on the big screen behind them . . . .

27. "Les Misérables" novelist Victor: HUGO

29. Included on an email: CCed

33. Yorke of Radiohead: THOM - Not a fan; the only song I know from them is "Creep"

35. __ dollar: SAND

36. Comic strip reporter Brenda: STARR - I did not know it was a movie with Brooke Shields

38. Not busy: IDLE - Dah~! not FREE

39. List of appts.: SKED - abbr for schedule

42. Beginning of an idea: SEED - I had the "seed" for a song in a dream last week - what I heard was the lyric "the horses in the barn"  

43. Opt for: DECIDE ON

46. Dentist's procedure: X-RAY

49. Khaki kin: TAN

51. Some haciendas: ADOBES - I never actually read up on what a 'hacienda' really is - the Wiki

53. Excalibur, for one: SWORD

Why Arthur is King, according to Monty Python

54. Beyond discouraged: TABOO

56. "Jeepers!": "YIKES~!"

57. Hit the slopes: SKI

58. Sneakers, informally: KICKS

60. Guitar part: FRET - body, neck, and head work, too

62. __ the pot: STIR - I have to restrain myself from "stirring the pot" at work

63. Brief kiss: PECK

64. Smallish batteries: AAAs - anything smaller, and we're into hearing aid/watch batteries

67. Wrath: IRE

68. Small intake: SIP

69. CSI sample: DNA

Splynter